5 SC C70/17/5.SC/4B Paris, April 2017 Original: FR and EN Limited distribution Fifth Session of the Subsidiary Committee of the Meeting of States Parties to the Convention concerning the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (UNESCO, Paris, 1970) Fifth session UNESCO Headquarters, room XI 17-19 May 2017 Point 4B of the provisional agenda: Secretariat s report on its activities This document presents the Secretariat s report concerning activities undertaken between October 2016 and May 2017 Draft decision: paragraph 61 1
CONTENTS I. INTRODUCION 3 II. FUNCTIONS, STRUCTURE, COMPOSITION AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES OF THE SECRETARIAT 3 a. Functions, structure and composition of the Secretariat 3 b. Financial resources 3 III MAIN ACTIVITIES OF THE SECRETARIAT SINCE OCTOBER 2016 4 a. Rules of Procedure of the Subsidiary Committee (Decision 4.SC 9) 4 b. Informal reflection working group 4 c. New partnership, international cooperation and new initiatives 4 i. New Partnerships 4 1. UNCTAD 4 2. Committee Colbert 5 ii. International Cooperation 5 1. Strategy for the reinforcement of UNESCO s actions for the protection of culture and the promotion of cultural pluralism in the event of an armed conflict 5 2. United Nations Security Council Resolution 2347 6 3. Meeting of the Ministers of Culture of the Members of the G7 Countries 6 4. European Union 7 5. UNIDROIT 7 6. INTERPOL 7 7. UNODC 7 iii. New Initiatives 8 1. New Convention by the Council of Europe 8 d. Emergency actions, training and awareness-raising 8 i. Emergency actions 8 ii. Training and awareness-raising 9 e. Fight against illicit trafficking and documentary heritage (Decision 4.SC 12) 10 f. Online periodic reporting system (Decision 4.SC 14) 11 g. Practical Tools 11 i. Convention of 1970 website 11 ii. UNESCO Database of National Cultural Heritage Laws 12 iii. Web alerts in the event of thefts of cultural property 12 IV DRAFT DECISION 5.SC/4B 13 2
I. INTRODUCTION 1. In accordance with Decision 4.SC.6, the Secretariat reports back to the Subsidiary Committee of the Meeting of States Parties to the 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (hereafter referred to as the 1970 Convention ), on the activities implemented since the close of the fourth session of the Subsidiary Committee (26-28 September 2016). II. FUNCTIONS, STRUCTURE, COMPOSITION AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES OF THE SECRETARIAT a. Functions, structure and composition of the Secretariat 2. The Secretariat s main duties consist in monitoring the implementation of the 1970 Convention and its management bodies and providing support and technical expertise to the States Parties to the Convention at their request, in accordance with the programme and budget adopted by the General Conference. 3. There are currently five permanent members of the 1970 Convention Secretariat a Head of section, a Programme specialist, a Deputy programme specialist, a young professional and an Administrative assistant, supported in their work by two temporary staff members (consultant and intern). b. Financial resources 4. Regarding extrabudgetary resources, between October 2016 and May 2017, operational implementation of the Convention by the Secretariat was largely based on the support of a Regional Organization (the European Union), a number of States Parties (China, Greece, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Turkey) and external governmental and non-governmental partners. 5. Since the creation of the Convention Fund, the Secretariat has received a donation (in November 2016) of 65,000 USD from the People s Republic of China. 6. Since March 2017, the Fund has been used to enable a representative of the least developed countries, from Zambia, to participate in the statutory meetings. Furthermore, discussions are under way with the UNESCO office in Phnom Penh, in order to use the Fund to prepare a publication concerning the restitution of cultural property to Cambodia. 7. The Secretariat continues to encourage Member States, intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, private partners and other stakeholders to make financial contributions to address the new challenges arising in the fight against illicit trafficking, particularly in the context of armed conflicts, illegal trading via the Internet, raising awareness in the general public and among professionals (magistrates, art markets, police, customs, etc.), and training. 3
III. MAIN ACTIVITIES OF THE SECRETARIAT SINCE OCTOBER 2016 a. Rules of Procedure of the Subsidiary Committee (Decision 4.SC 9) 8. This Decision had asked the Secretariat to send these Rules of Procedure, as amended, to the Chairman of the working group on governance, procedures and methods of work of the governing bodies of UNESCO, for information purposes in accordance with Resolution 38C/101 of the General Conference. The Chairman was officially informed of this in April 2017, as required. 9. Regarding the Recommendation to the Meeting of States Parties to the 1970 Convention to amend Article 14.5 of its Rules of Procedure in order to permit the Member States of the Subsidiary Committee to be re-elected for an additional mandate and to defer to the decisions of the Subsidiary Committee for adoption of the decision in its own Rules of Procedure, this point is the subject of a specific document, reference C70/17/4.MSP/15. b. Informal working group 10. At the invitation of the Chairperson of the Committee, an informal working group took place from 10 to 13 March on the island of Crete, Greece, with the purpose to prepare the upcoming meeting of the 5 th Session of the Subsidiary Committee. 15 Members of the Subsidiary Committee participated in this session: Armenia, Afghanistan, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ecuador, Greece, India, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Libya, Morocco, Mexico and Nigeria, as well as representatives from Christie s, E-bay and Interpol. 11. The meeting conducted various discussions on the role of proper documentation, due diligence and online sales of cultural goods. c. New partnerships, international cooperation and new initiatives i. New partnerships 1. UNCTAD 12. In November 2016, UNCTAD organized the High-level enforcement meeting: integrated solutions for protection of cultural heritage which took place at the University of Gibraltar in cooperation with the UNESCO office in Kabul. The meeting was attended by representatives of Afghan Customs, UNCTAD in Afghanistan, INTERPOL, UNESCO (HQs and Office in Kabul), UNIDROIT, members of H.M Customs in Gibraltar as well as representatives of the Gibraltar Museum and the Gibraltar Heritage Trust. 13. The aim of the meeting was to present a dedicated interface (EPOCH), developed by UNCTAD and focused on the fight against the illicit trafficking in cultural property, to be integrated into the Afghan Customs Department Risk-Management System (ASYCUDA). The goal was also to discuss the involvement of UNESCO, INTERPOL, UNIDROIT and other international partners in the development of this innovative initiative, which could also be adapted in other countries since the ASYCUDA system is already implemented in over 90 States. 14. UNCTAD provided a presentation of the EPOCH system and its functionalities, highlighting the importance of UNESCO being involved in this initiative. The electronic nature of the tool provides the possibility of sending alerts to any interested 4
stakeholders in real time. Furthermore, the system would make it possible to monitor the export of cultural objects while collecting very detailed data on seizures. This would, at the same time, facilitate the control and handling of seizures by generating automatic alerts. The new tool could also identify suspicious profiles (i.e., individuals who have entered and exited the same country several times and for short periods) to whom the export certificate would not be granted or eventually revoked. Moreover, the system will include a series of cross-references to several existing tools, such as the INTERPOL database or ICOM Red Lists. 2. Committee Colbert 15. As a way to monitor the campaign with the Colbert Committee, from July 2016, the Secretariat and this body launched a new joint campaign in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia (Spain) to raise awareness of the value of heritage and creativity, on social networks and in public spaces. Given the popularity of this campaign, study is under way into developing the initiative in Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa and Arab states. ii. International Cooperation 1. Strategy for the reinforcement of UNESCO s actions for the protection of culture and the promotion of cultural pluralism in the event of an armed conflict 16. To strengthen Member States ability to prevent, mitigate, and recover for the loss of cultural heritage as a result of conflicts, and to incorporate the protection of culture into humanitarian action, security plans and peacebuilding processes, the Strategy1 for the reinforcement of UNESCO s actions for the protection of culture and the promotion of cultural pluralism in the event of armed conflict was adopted at the 38th Session of the General Conference of UNESCO in November 2015. An Action Plan for the Strategy s implementation was presented to UNESCO s Executive Board at its 201 st session, and welcomed on that occasion. A number of activities included in this Action Plan are directly relevant to the Convention and the fight against illicit trafficking: Activity 1 Development of training tools and provision of trainings for national law enforcement, armed forces, specialized units and legal sectors on cultural property protection and illicit trafficking of cultural objects ; Activity 5 Campaign for the global ratification of UNESCO Conventions ; Activity 7 Comprehensive review of legal and policy frameworks on safe havens for cultural property ; Activity 15 Establishment of a Global Observatory of Cultural Heritage to monitor and document looting or damage to cultural heritage sites ; Activity 16 Facilitate the creation of safe havens for cultural property ; Activity 20 Strengthening synergies among Conventions ; and Activity 22 Strengthened cooperation in the fight against illicit trafficking. Additional activities include elements relevant to the Convention as well, such as Activities 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 13. 17. Pursuant to the adoption of this Strategy, UNESCO held a series of capacity-building and advocacy workshops, in cooperation, among others, with INTERPOL, the World Customs Organization, UNODC and UNIDROIT, to train cultural heritage professionals, 1 https://en.unesco.org/system/files/unesco_clt_strategy_en.pdf 5
law enforcement authorities and custom officers from the countries concerned as well as neighbouring countries.2 18. In addition, to ensure the effective implementation of Resolution 2199 at the international level, the Director-General convened, on 26 January 2016, a videoconference with the respective Heads of INTERPOL, the UNIDROIT, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Customs Organization (WCO). A second videoconference with the abovementioned partners and with the Coordinator of the UNSC Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team was organized on 22 March 2017 to continue the follow-up on the implementation of UNSC Resolutions to fight against illicit trafficking in conflict areas and develop future joint actions.3 2. United Nations Security Council Resolution 2347 19. On 24 March 2017, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 23474 on the protection of cultural heritage in the event of an armed conflict and stressed in this regard the central role of UNESCO, UNODC and INTERPOL in preventing and countering illicit trafficking of cultural property. The resolution encourages bilateral, regional and international cooperation specifically in crime prevention and criminal justice responses including through investigation, cross-border cooperation and exchange of information, as well as the inclusion of the protection of cultural heritage in the mandate of UN peacekeeping operations, as appropriate. Moreover, the Resolution encourages Member States to consider the adoption of a series of measures with a view to prevent illicit trafficking of cultural property in the event of armed conflict. 3. Meeting of the Ministers of Culture of the Members of the G7 Countries 20. On 30-31 March 2017, the UNESCO Director-General participated in the G7 Ministers of Culture Meeting organized in Florence on Culture as a Tool for Dialogue among Peoples, dedicated to the protection of cultural heritage and the prevention of illicit trafficking. This meeting marked a new step reflecting a new vision of the links between peace and cultural heritage. 21. The meeting was concluded with the signature of the Florence Declaration 5, in which representatives from the G7 countries reaffirmed the importance of international cooperation, of common coordinated action to strengthen the safeguarding of cultural heritage and the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property, including, in this regard, the leadership role of UNESCO in coordinating international efforts within its mandate. 4. European Union 22. Thanks to a contribution from the European Union, the Secretariat has launched in March 2017 the implementation of a two-year project Engaging the European art market in the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property. This project aims at engaging European art market stakeholders in the fight against illicit trafficking in 2 http://www.unesco.org/new/en/safeguarding-syrian-cultural-heritage/ and http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/illicit-trafficking-of-cultural-property/emergency-actions/iraq/ 3 See C70/15/3.MSP/9 on emergency actions undertaken by the Secretariat 4 http://undocs.org/en/s/res/2347(2017) 5 http://www.beniculturali.it/mibac/multimedia/mibac/documents/1490881204940_declaration-dichiarazione.pdf 6
cultural property, with a particular focus on - but not restricted to - objects originating from countries in a conflict situation or affected by natural disasters. 23. The project will help reinforce due diligence conduct in the European art trade while sensitizing relevant stakeholders to the different implications of illicit trafficking in cultural property, with a particular concern regarding terrorism financing and money laundering. The ultimate objective of this project is to raise awareness of European art market stakeholders regarding the illicit trafficking in cultural property and its link with other types of organized crime and promote the existing legal frameworks to combat it. Furthermore, the project intends to provide technical assistance to beneficiaries on due diligence principles, such as provenance checks, authenticity verification of documents and other existing tools. It will also strengthen cooperation among European art market professionals, with relevant national authorities. 5. UNIDROIT 24. An event on Promoting and strengthening the international legal framework for the protection of cultural heritage The 1995 Convention took place at UN Headquarters, New York in February 2017. It was jointly organized by the Missions of Cyprus and Italy to the UN in cooperation with UNIDROIT. The main objective of this meeting was to discuss synergies between international instruments, emphasizing the benefits of ratifying the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention as well as other international treaties. The meeting emphasized the valuable, decades-long elaboration of successful partnership between UNESCO and UNIDROIT, which led, inter alia, to the 1995 Convention, at UNESCO s initiative as a complement to the 1970 Convention, as well as to the UNESCO-UNIDROIT Model Provisions on State Ownership of Undiscovered Cultural Objects. 6. INTERPOL 25. INTERPOL, in collaboration with UNESCO, organized a two-days meeting on preventing the circulation and sale of illegally exported Iraqi and Syrian artefacts on the international market and their restitution. The meeting was held at the UNESCO Office in Beirut in December 2016, with the support of the Norwegian Embassy. The aim of the conference was to assess the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2199 (2015) for the protection of cultural heritage in the Middle East, one year after its adoption. 7. UNODC 26. The Secretariat participated in a workshop countering illicit trafficking of cultural property by terrorist groups organized by the UNODC Terrorism Prevention Branch, on 21-23 January 2017, Beirut, Lebanon, for a group of Iraqi officials. Participants for Iraq included judges, law enforcement officers and members of the department of antiquities. iii. New Initiatives 1. New Convention by the Council of Europe 27. The recent events in Iraq and Syria has shed new light on the vulnerability of historic and archaeological sites. In addition to the deliberate destruction of cultural sites, trafficking and plundering of cultural property is being used to fund organized crime and as a source of money laundering affecting all European states. 7
28. The Council of Europe is elaborating a new Convention aimed at strengthening the fight against illicit traffic mainly through criminal law. This would be the first regional instrument to impose criminal sanctions. Moreover, it will ensure harmonization of domestic laws regarding offences to cultural property in all Member States. 29. The Committee on Offences Relating to Cultural Property (PC-IBC) held its first meeting in May 2016 to discuss the content and the scope of the new Convention. The second meeting was held in November 2016, in which experts in the area of criminal law revised the first draft of the new Convention. Another round of discussion took place in January 2017 where the Committee continued revising the draft Convention and the last meeting concluded its negotiations in February 2017 in view of a possible finalization and adoption of the text in May 2017. 30. In December 2016, the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media of Council of Europe conducted discussions on the deliberate destruction and illegal trafficking of cultural heritage. 6 Discussions focused on the destructive targeting of cultural property in addition to looting of sites and theft of artefacts from public and private collections. In addition to destruction, it has also been acknowledged that ISIL also markets fragments from destroyed monuments in order to secure valuable items for sale to fund criminal activities. Moreover, difficulties and gaps in the way the problem is tackled was also discussed. d. Emergency actions, training and awareness-raising i. Emergency actions 31. Due to the increasing attacks on cultural heritage, the 1970 Convention Secretariat has committed itself to very many emergency actions, notably in Iraq, Libya, Mali and Syria. A document7 has been prepared to report on the emergency actions undertaken by the Secretariat in response to these situations. 32. The Subsidiary Committee adopted Decision 4.SC/6 (relevant paragraphs 6 to 9) at its fourth session which encouraged States Parties to share information with the Secretariat on its implementation. Furthermore, this decision also invited States Parties to extend the measures undertaken for Syria and Iraq to Libya and Yemen. 33. The Secretariat shared its analysis based on the information provided by UNESCO Member States with the UN Security Council Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team in December 2016. The Team submitted its recommendations to the Security Council on 13 January 2017. The recommendations, while highlighting the strong cooperation between the Team and UNESCO, underlined the importance of sharing information between Member States, UNESCO and the Team (S/2017/35).8 The main points referred to in the report are: seized and fake artefacts, number of criminal cases, measures adopted by Member States, smuggling routes and proposals for strengthening the implementation of UN Security Resolutions 2199 and 2253. 34. In addition to its follow-up activities to the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, the Secretariat is implementing numerous emergency actions, notably in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Syria and Yemen - countries which require specific responses to effectively fight against the illicit trafficking of their cultural property. 35. In order to raise awareness among children in Iraq about the importance of cultural heritage protection and the need to counter illicit trafficking in cultural property, a 6 http://www.coe.int/en/web/moscow/-/council-of-europe-colloquy-on-protecting-cultural-heritage-from-destruction-and-trafficking 7 C70/15/3.MSP/9 8 http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=s/2017/35 8
mobile application game, Sarmad the Adventurer, was developed with financial support from Norway. The game was created in Arabic and English and is being disseminated in Iraqi primary schools. A first "Cultural Heritage Play Day" was organized at the Harshm Internally Displaced Person Camp in Erbil on 24 November 2016, where the app game was distributed to the pupils. Two hundred primary school children participated in the play day; the programme included the screening of one of the video clips, followed by an interactive discussion with the children on their heritage, what it means to them and how they can stand up for its protection. 36. UNESCO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture of Iraq, organized an International Coordination Conference on the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage in Liberated Areas of Iraq, at its Headquarters in Paris from 23 to 24 February 2017. The objective of this Conference was to assess the overall situation of cultural heritage in the liberated areas, with a focus on historical buildings and urban heritage, archaeological sites, museums and museum collections, religious heritage, historical manuscripts, as well as on the identification of the measures required to counter the illicit trafficking of looted artefacts. Based on this assessment, a prioritized programme for action was agreed. A Joint Steering Committee was established with the Iraqi authorities. 37. The UNESCO Bamako Office, in order to strengthen the capacities of customs, police and gendarmerie, commissioned a research study, which will be shared with all relevant national stakeholders in order to shed light on prevention of illicit trafficking of cultural objects. A sub-regional workshop will be organized by the Bamako Office in coordination with the Dakar Office in 2017, and will gather museum professionals, law enforcement and judiciary staff from Mali, Senegal, Guinea and Niger. This project aims at strengthening the capacities of customs, police and military officers on illicit trafficking, in collaboration with INTERPOL. 38. In addition to capacity building initiatives, within the framework of the same project, an animation clip on prevention of illicit trafficking of Syrian cultural property was produced. The purpose of this clip is, through a pedagogic narrative, to raise awareness of different audiences with facts and numbers about looting of cultural artefacts. The clip also aims at sensitizing art market officials worldwide on the current situation, informing the potential buyers on criminal aspects. The clip was launched during the Fourth Meeting of State Parties to the 1970 Convention. ii. Training and awareness-raising 39. The Secretariat implements training and capacity building programmes in close cooperation with the Field Offices of UNESCO and its governmental and nongovernmental partners, in all regions of the world. Thus, during the period in question (October 2016 May 2017), 8 training workshops and briefings were held for 100 participants representing 12 countries. 40. Rome, Italy, 21-25 November 2016: a training workshop on the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property was organized by the UNESCO office in Venice and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, aimed at stakeholders in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The objective was to raise awareness among the staff of the relevant Bosnian governmental departments and develop their professional capacities so that they are able to implement international standards, best practices and relevant instruments. 41. For the benefit of the academic world, the Secretariat has provided a number of training courses for Master 2 students in Aix-en-Provence, Paris and Turin, on the role of UNESCO in protecting heritage, particularly in emergency situations. 9
42. Florence, Italy, 30-31 March 2017: the Secretariat took part in the meeting of Experts on the protection of cultural heritage and the session on Protection Procedures: Strengths and weaknesses as part of the G7 Meeting of Ministers of Culture. 43. In Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala, from 28 November to 2 December 2016, a regional capacity-building meeting was organized by the UNESCO office in Guatemala and the Headquarters, concerning the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property and promoting its restitution to Central America. This project was financed by contributions from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and addressed the development of national human and institutional preventive capacities, the reinforcement of national and sub-regional cooperation and public awarenessraising. Various materials were produced and distributed via a variety of media (audiovisual, radio and press). A number of activities will be developed to raise students awareness of the issue of trafficking in cultural property. 44. In Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from 28 to 30 March 2017 and as part of the INTERPOL forum unity for Security, UNESCO took part in the round table on cultural heritage entitled Preserving our past for future generations. 45. Furthermore, the Secretariat organized a training workshop in Abu Dhabi, from 2 to 4 April 2017 on The ethics of collections and the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property, for the benefit of the Member States of the Gulf Cooperation Council. 46. The UNESCO office in Amman also performed a needs evaluation concerning the fight against illicit trafficking in Jordan, in order to plan the actions to be implemented. e. Fight against illicit trafficking and documentary heritage (Decision 4.SC 12) 47. This Decision had requested that the Secretariat, in cooperation with the Subsidiary Committee and the Mexican government, organize a meeting on the illicit trafficking of documentary heritage, according to the extrabudgetary funds available, with the participation of the Communication and Information Department Memory of the World programme, experts and representatives of the main international partners (INTERPOL, the World Customs Organization [WCO], UNIDROIT, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime [UNODC], International Council of Museums [ICOM], etc.), as well as relevant library and archive associations (the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, the International Council on Archives, etc.). This meeting will be held in parallel with the Conference of the International Council on Archives/ Latin American Archives Association, which will be held in Mexico from 30 November to 1 December 2017. 48. On 27 February 2017, a video conference was held between the Secretariat, the Permanent Delegation of Mexico, the Mexico Legal Council and the National Archive of the Nation, with the objective of preparing the above-mentioned meeting on the illicit trafficking of Documentary Heritage. The discussions related to a first conceptual proposal for this meeting. f. Online periodic reporting system (Decision 4.SC 14) 49. To follow up on this point, a specific document (C70/17/5.SC/9A) was prepared for examination during this fifth session of the Subsidiary Committee. g. Practical instruments 10
i. Convention of 1970 website 50. Based on a Decision (2.SC/4/5b9) and on recommendations 18 and 24 of the IOS Evaluation Report, the 1970 Convention Secretariat works to improve the Convention website and update it regularly. 51. Efforts made to familiarize the States Parties with this website and encourage them to use it as an information-sharing and knowledge-management forum proved worthwhile, as may be seen from the increased number of theft alerts10 and cases of returns/restitutions11 published on the 1970 Convention Internet pages. 52. During the period in question, over 20,000 visits to the 1970 Convention Internet pages were recorded per month, nearly double the volume of the previous period. The majority of visitors to the website were searching for general information relating to the Convention, the States Parties and the statutory meetings. Then there were visits to pages relating to emergency actions, legal and practical instruments and the UNESCO Database of National Cultural Heritage Laws. ii. UNESCO Database of National Cultural Heritage Laws12 53. Based on Decision 2.SC 4/5b, as well as on Recommendation 16 of the IOS Evaluation Report, the Secretariat continues to develop the Natlaws database, extending the coverage of the legislation and the availability of translations. 54. The Natlaws database, whose development was encouraged in Recommendation 16 of the evaluation performed by IOS13, celebrated its tenth anniversary in November 2015. It provides the public with up-to-date multilingual practical and legal information directly and free of charge, making it possible to fight the pillaging, theft and illicit trafficking of cultural property more effectively. The updates, translations and publications relating to this database have been financed by the United States of America State Department since 2005, but this support will come to an end in July 2017. 55. It currently holds 2,914 pieces of national cultural legislation from 189 countries14. Since October 2016, 85 texts have been added. All of these texts are accessible online15. The statistics indicate that the page generates an average of 4,700 searches and 813,000 printouts per month16. 56. In addition to the regular updates to the texts that it is sent, the Secretariat monitors the translations requested by certain countries (from the original language into English). Four translation contracts have been concluded since 2012, with Honduras, Nicaragua, 9 Adopted at the second session of the Subsidiary Committee of the Meeting of States Parties to the 1970 Convention. 10 International alerts - http://www.unesco.org/new/fr/culture/themes/illicit-trafficking-of-cultural-property/international-alerts/ 11 Recent cases of restitution of cultural property under the 1970 Convention - http://www.unesco.org/new/fr/culture/themes/illicit-trafficking-of-cultural-property/recent-restitution-cases-of-cultural-objectsusing-the-1970-convention/ Other cases of return or restitution of cultural property - http://www.unesco.org/new/fr/culture/themes/illicit-trafficking-ofcultural-property/other-cases-of-return-or-restitution-of-cultural-objects/ 12 The States are invited to provide UNESCO officially with information in electronic format (USB stick, CD-ROM or electronic mail), accompanied by an official written authorization issued by the competent national authority, enabling UNESCO to reproduce the export and/or import certificates and legislation on its website and to establish a link between its website and the official national website, unless it is expressly specified that such a link is prohibited or not desired. http://www.unesco.org/culture/natlaws/index.php?&lng=fr 13http://www.unesco.org/new/fr/culture/themes/illicit-trafficking-of-cultural-property/unesco-database-of-national-culturalheritagelaws/ See also Recommendation 16 of the Evaluation of UNESCO s Standard-setting Work of the Culture Sector (IOS/EVS/PI/133 REV.4) 14 Data up to date in June 2016. 15 http://www.unesco.org/culture/natlaws 16 Statistics updated in June 2016. 11
Mali and Tunisia. Eight countries also feature on the list of priorities established by the donor: Algeria, Bolivia, Ecuador, Libya, Morocco, Panama, El Salvador and Thailand. 57. A brochure presenting the database is available in the six languages of the Organization and is in the process of being updated. This document is also available online17, with a glossary of search keywords. Furthermore, a newsletter was launched in December 2014 in order to inform users of updates and additions to the database, as well as meetings and workshops being held relating to the database. To date, 1,367 people have subscribed to this newsletter. Finally, the database Twitter account18 was created in 2014 and today has 466 followers. iii. Web alerts in the event of thefts of cultural property 58. The 1970 Convention Secretariat is regularly requested by the States to put out international alerts online concerning thefts of cultural property, thereby contributing to international cooperative action to facilitate restitutions to the countries of origin. When the Secretariat receives such requests, the alerts are sent out to the partners and published online19. 59. When the Secretariat is informed of the theft of an object, it immediately alert the specialist police units, as well as INTERPOL, major players in the art market and the main museums of the world, and asks its partners to send out the alert on their respective networks. 60. Between September 2016 and March 2017, the Secretariat received 5 alerts from Greece, 1 from Ecuador, 3 from Peru and 1 from Syria. All of these have been published on the 1970 Convention website. 61. The Subsidiary Committee might wish to adopt the following decision: IV. DRAFT DECISION 5.SC/4B The Subsidiary Committee, 1. Having examined document C70/17/5.SC/4B, 2. Recalling the Strategy for the reinforcement of UNESCO s action for the protection of culture and the promotion of cultural pluralism in the event of armed conflict, adopted by the General Conference in 2015 (38C/Res.48), as well as the action plan for its implementation (201 EX/5 Part I (E)); 3. Thanks the Member States of the committee and the States parties who have generously provided financial support for activities developed by the Secretariat; 4. Takes note with satisfaction of the Secretariat s report on its activities from October 2016 to May 2017; 5. Welcomes the many training activities carried out by the Secretariat with UNESCO Field Offices and the organization s main partners, with the support of the local authorities of the countries concerned, their growing scope and the continued effectiveness of the global capacity-building strategy; 17 http://www.unesco.org/culture/fr/natlaws/db/brochure.pdf 18 @NatlawsDatabase 19 http://www.unesco.org/new/fr/culture/themes/illicit-trafficking-of-cultural-property/international-alerts 12
6. Also welcomes action taken to raise awareness of the fight against trafficking in cultural property; 7. Invites the Committee Members and the States parties to strengthen their financial and human resource support for the activities being undertaken to implement the Convention efficiently; 8. Encourages the 62 member states of UNESCO who are not already, to become parties to the 1970 Convention, by the sixth meeting of the Subsidiary Committee and with the support of the Secretariat, and also encourages those states who have not yet done so to accede to the UNIDROIT Convention of 1995; 9. Finally, encourages the Secretariat to continue in its efforts to implement the Convention and invites it to present a new report on its activity at its sixth meeting. 13